Gibraltar sets date for sovereignty vote

The government of Gibraltar yesterday set November 7 as the date for a referendum to ask the people of the British colony whether Britain should share sovereignty with Spain.

The vote is all but certain to result in a resounding rejection. Gibraltarians vehemently oppose any role for Spain and resent talks between London and Madrid on a plan to share sovereignty over the colony on Spain's southern coast.

Britain and Spain have said they will not recognise such a referendum.

Gibraltar's government said in July it would call its own referendum to pre-empt any deal between the former colonial powers to end their 300-year-old dispute over the tiny but strategically located territory.

"The question put to referendum will be limited to the single issue of joint or shared sovereignty. The exact wording will be announced in due course," the Gibraltar government said, announcing the date.

Britain has said it will not alter Gibraltar's status against the wishes of the 30,000 people there, but has also said it will not recognise any referendum not called by London.

"This referendum will give us a further democratic opportunity to express our view on the principle of joint or shared sovereignty," Gibraltar's elected chief minister, Peter Caruana, said.

"The government believes that the sovereignty of Gibraltar should not be negotiated against our wishes and that the British government should not enter into political agreements with Spain on sovereignty without our consent."

He called the idea of joint sovereignty "a thoroughly misconceived, unworkable and dangerous concept" and said the Gibraltar government would campaign for a "no" vote.

The Spanish foreign minister, Ana Palacio, said Spain agreed with the foreign secretary, Jack Straw, that the referendum would have no legal value.

"We are outside all this [debate], but we fully agree with this analysis," she said.

Britain and Spain reopened talks on Gibraltar just over a year ago, but differences remain over the status of Gibraltar's military base and Spain's insistence on keeping alive long-term hopes for full sovereignty.